Drug bioavailability is a crucial aspect of pharmacology, affecting the effectiveness of drug therapy. Understanding how drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated in patients’ bodies is essential to ensure proper and safe treatment. This publication aims to highlight the relevance of drug bioavailability research and its importance in therapy. In addition to biochemical activity, bioavailability also plays a critical role in achieving the desired therapeutic effects. This may seem obvious, but it is worth noting that a drug can only produce the expected effect if the proper level of concentration can be achieved at the desired point in a patient’s body. Given the differences between patients, drug dosages, and administration forms, understanding and controlling bioavailability has become a priority in pharmacology. This publication discusses the basic concepts of bioavailability and the factors affecting it. We also looked at various methods of assessing bioavailability, both in the laboratory and in the clinic. Notably, the introduction of new technologies and tools in this field is vital to achieve advances in drug bioavailability research. This publication also discusses cases of drugs with poorly described bioavailability, providing a deeper understanding of the complex challenges they pose to medical researchers and practitioners. Simultaneously, the article focuses on the perspectives and trends that may shape the future of research regarding bioavailability, which is crucial to the development of modern pharmacology and drug therapy. In this context, the publication offers an essential, meaningful contribution toward understanding and highlighting bioavailability’s role in reliable patient treatment. The text also identifies areas that require further research and exploration.

In the 21st century and especially during a pandemic, the diagnosis and treatment of depression is an essential part of the daily practice of many family doctors. It mainly affects patients in the age category 15–44 years, regardless of gender. Anxiety disorders are often diagnosed in children and adolescents. Social phobias can account for up to 13% of these diagnoses. Social anxiety manifests itself in fear of negative social assessment and humiliation, which disrupts the quality of social functioning. Treatment of the above-mentioned disorders is based on psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Serious side effects or mortality from antidepressant drug overdose are currently rare. Recent studies indicate that paroxetine (ATC code: N06AB), belonging to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, has promising therapeutic effects and is used off-label in children and adolescents. The purpose of this review is to describe the interaction of paroxetine with several molecular targets in various points of view including the basic chemical and pharmaceutical properties. The central point of the review is focused on the pharmacodynamic analysis based on the molecular mechanism of binding paroxetine to various therapeutic targets.

The year 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the confirmation of the neurotransmission phenomenon by Otto Loewi. Over the course of the hundred years, about 100 neurotransmitters belonging to many chemical groups have been discovered. In order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the confirmation of neurotransmitters, we present an overview of the first two endogenous gaseous transmitters i.e., nitric oxide, and carbon monoxide, which are often termed as gasotransmitters.

Osteoarthritis (OA) can be defined as the result of pathological processes of various etiologies leading to damage to the articular structures. Although the mechanism of degenerative changes has become better understood due to the plethora of biochemical and genetic studies, the drug that could stop the degenerative cascade is still unknown. All available forms of OA therapy are based on symptomatic treatment. According to actual guidelines, comprehensive treatment of OA should always include a combination of various therapeutic options aimed at common goals, which are pain relief in the first place, and then the improvement of function. Local treatment has become more common practice, which takes place between rehabilitation and pharmacological treatment in the hierarchy of procedures. Only in the case of no improvement and the presence of advanced lesions visible in imaging tests, should surgery be considered. Currently, an increasing number of studies are being published suggesting that intra-articular injections may be as effective or even more effective than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and result in fewer systemic adverse events. The most commonly used preparations are hyaluronic acid (HA), glucocorticosteroids (GS), and also platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in recent years. This review aims to present the mechanism of action and clinical effectiveness of different pharmacological options in relieving pain and improving functions in OA as well as the emerging approach in intra-articular treatment with PRP.

Dyslipidemia is listed among important cardiovascular disease risk factors. Treating lipid disorders is difficult, and achieving desirable levels of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) is essential in both the secondary and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. For many years, statins became the basis of lipid-lowering therapy. Nevertheless, these drugs are often insufficient due to their side effects and restrictive criteria for achieving the recommended LDL-C values. Even the addition of other drugs, i.e., ezetimibe, does not help one achieve the target LDL-C. The discovery of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) discovery has triggered intensive research on a new class of protein-based drugs. The protein PCSK9 is located mainly in hepatocytes and is involved in the metabolism of LDL-C. In the beginning, antibodies against the PCSK9 protein, such as evolocumab, were invented. The next step was inclisiran. Inclisiran is a small interfering RNA (siRNA) that inhibits the expression of PCSK9 by binding specifically to the mRNA precursor of PCSK9 protein and causing its degradation. It has been noticed in recent years that siRNA is a powerful tool for biomedical research and drug discovery. The purpose of this work is to summarize the molecular mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics of inclisiran and to review the latest research.